hiiiii sorry this is late!! but here is your treat >:) this is from an old WIP called clinical trial.
“Here you go,” Mello says, pressing a white tablet into Near’s palm. He looks down at the one in his own hand— identical, and from the same bottle. “Bottoms up.”
Near nods, white hair flashing in the late-afternoon sunlight, and throws the pill into his mouth. He washes it down with a glass of water, and Mello watches the line of his throat move for a moment before slipping his own dose past his lips. He’s never needed water to swallow pills.
“And now we wait,” says Near, turning from Mello to make himself at home on Mello’s couch.
It is not without precedent, what they’re doing. Researchers do not traditionally participate in their own clinical trials, but there have been more than a few great discoveries made by scientists who used themselves as subjects, and, Mello and Near have never been accused of being traditional. Their mentor certainly hasn’t been either.
“Am I setting the timer?” Mello asks as Near turns his coffee table into a battleground for his stupidass Gundam collection. “You don’t look like you’re setting the timer.”
“It’s your apartment,” Near points out, punctuating the observation with a nebulously combat-related sound effect. Whether a blow or an explosion, Mello can’t say. “I thought it was implied that you would be the test lead.”
The test lead. How stupid. The whole point of this is that they’re acting as subjects. They entered under pseudonyms— Michael Kelly and Nathan Rio. Hardly subtle, but they both knew no one would bother checking until it was too late to stop them. Aside from the fake names, and aside from having stolen their doses from the lab and fleeing before their deceit could be discovered, and aside from the fact that they’re doing this in Mello’s apartment and without any kind of medical supervision, it’s all very legitimate. Very above-board.
Their protocol is simple. They have already each taken their respective doses, which will take approximately forty-five minutes to reach therapeutically significant concentrations in their bloodstreams. Fifteen minutes before then, they will begin exposures to undesired stimuli, the sorts of things they each find distressing. Near’s undesired stimuli are predominantly related to textures he dislikes; Mello’s undesired stimuli is Near’s presence.
Near + Dino Plush: He seems happy to get something cuddly. (This toy suggested by @dreamfilleddonuts ♥ Suggestion pic under the cut. Send Near more toys to play with here!)
Ooohh this one is interesting. Because their courtship doesn't start with dating, does it? It starts with competition and sexual tension and living together and working together and working against each other only to work together again—so any date of theirs would be something that's planned after their relationship has already been established.
I might just have brainworms from neallo's bury us both but Mello doesn't seem like the type of person to do dates until a solid romance has already been established. Until he's been tied down, so to speak. There's a reason I have that WiP of Near keeping Mello in a big plastic cube like he's a stray cat. But also: Mello is likely the one who plans their first date. Near already doesn't like being outside—he has to stand, which is uncomfortable, he has to be around crowds of people, which is even more uncomfortable, there are lights and sounds and smells he can't control or mitigate—so I definitely don't see him planning a real date.
So picture this. Mello blindfolds Near and puts him on his bike (Near allows this because he gets to sit in front of Mello facing him, legs around his waist and face in his chest as he rides) and takes him to a fancy restaurant. Only, it's not just a restaurant—it's an observatory. There's plush carpets and wide berths between tables, and the lights are a pleasant sort of swimming and dim so that as it gets dark, you can see the stars start to pop up.
It's quiet, and the servers are unobtrusive, Mello makes Near try some wine because he's twenty-something now and he needs to finish popping all his cherries. With Mello only, of course ✨
It's probably an anniversary of some kind—maybe Near's birthday? 👀 nudge nudge—and their conversation is quiet but intense. Soft but raw. It's the first time they've ever done anything so romantic, so plainly loving, and Near tells Mello every day that he loves him but now he can read the same in every one of Mello's actions. Every part of their outing is planned so meticulously, so ruthlessly aligned for Near's comfort and enjoyment, and Mello probably pulled his gun on a few people to make it happen but he did it for Near.
And it's the best thing ever :)
...Until their wedding day, that is.
6. How do they make up/apologize after an argument?
In stark contrast to my above post: sex. You can't wrench a verbal apology from Mello's teeth for shit, boy's like a fucking pitbull, but Near is well versed in his nonverbal cues, just as Mello is to his. Sex may not be the solution to whatever argument they were having, but it's step one in getting there. Mello gets pissed and storms off until Near goes hunting for him, or Near locks himself in his room for hours and freezes him out before Mello breaks off the lock and storms in, and then they fall into each other because they're emotionally codependent and they don't know how to be happy without each other anymore :)
14. Do they enjoy PDA, or are they more private with affection?
Near is largely indifferent to PDA—but Mello hates it because he thinks it's embarrassing (poor little lion's pride) and so on occasion Near will transform into an absolute menace. He's feeling petty, he's feeling mischievous, he's feeling affectionate, any of these are good reasons for him to go up to Mello and cling to his arm, nuzzle his cheek and chest, kiss his neck, his mouth, his hands, climb into his lap and refuse to be moved, etc etc. Mello always gets so flustered and angry about it that it just drives Near to do it more 🤭
However, the longer they're together the less Mello gives a shit. To the point where he actually becomes quite the exhibitionist and takes to fucking Near in the headquarters meeting room. Their hotel lobbies. Roofs as satellites are passing by. Up against brightly lit windows in the middle of the night. Sloppy makeouts in the city squares and drawn-out quickies in public bathrooms 🙏
Near is, of course, anything but displeased with the development.
17. How well do they communicate? Are they open with their feelings/thoughts or more reserved? Why?
BADLY. THEY ARE BAD AT THIS. ESPECIALLY IN THE BEGINNING.
Mello tries to convince himself he doesn't even have any other emotions besides anger and triumph so he's shit at recognizing what he's feeling, let alone communicating it. Near is a little better at this because he's more introspective, but he's also just. not very good at expressing his emotions through anything other than deadpan statements that sound untrue on principal. "I am upset." "That hurt my feelings." "I'm happy you're here."
Mello misinterprets Near because Near is so unexpressive and Mello is used to people who lie, and Near misinterprets Mello because Mello gives off so many mixed signals and in the beginning Near doesn't know him well enough to read between the lines. 'Tism rizz :') ✨
I think that was the first time I've seen you draw any of the Wammy boys, and it makes me want to know your headcanons for them, either inside our universe or just in general.
Henh, I draw them from time to time. Probably not in the last few months, but... every once in a while~. ^__^U Oh boy, for as long as I've been in this fandom, I don't think I've ever really put my thoughts/headcanons about them into solid words before. I'll try to make this not a disorganized mess:
Mello
I feel like his rivalry with Near gives him a sense of purpose. A goal to strive for. Whenever he has a set goal, he goes for it 120%. That try hard attitude is exactly what holds him back though. Being so laser focused may stress him out and cause him to overlook things and make more mistakes or ignore simpler solutions. He forgets to take breaks, and his fatigue creates more problems, particularly with schoolwork.
We only get one glimpse of him "off the clock" where he's playing soccer/football with his classmates (and laughs after clocking someone in the head with the ball, lol). That one instance tells me that he might have a slightly mean sense of humor (he's also seen pulling some kid's hair and Roger makes him let go of them), but of course the kid was okay and he knew it. If he had actually seriously hurt someone while joking around, I'm not sure if he'd just laugh it off. Probably try to say it wasn't a big deal, but still keep an ear out to make sure so-and-so was really okay. Very tsundere. I may be giving canon!Mello too much credit, lol. Although, he does express that he didn't want to kill Soichiro in the end. The kidnappings were horrible scare tactics, but he made sure that they would be returned alive if the demands were met (fuck his mafia crew though, *snort*).
He'd be more openly caring with people he, well, cares about. Matt as an obvious canon example. I think it's very telling that Matt isn't present during the Mafia arc. Mello leaves the orphanage alone, and he doesn't seek Matt out until after his base blows up. So, he strikes me as someone who wants to deal with his own problems by himself and not drag anyone he cares about into his personal drama. The mafia and kidnappees are just tools to him, but anyone close is out of the question unless the situation is dire. Matt was probably the only person he could reliably contact at that point (he does contact and crash at Lidner's place for a while, but surely he had to have recovered somewhere after the blast before he could get back into the action). How he expresses regret over Matt dying while being part of his plan emphasizes this sentiment.
A character I really associate him with is Amethyst from Steven Universe, especially if I want to think of how he'd be without the pressure of that rivalry, and even with it. Amethyst has the kind of humor that can come off as callous that I'd think Mello would have. What really shines for me is their shared inferiority complex and how they deal with them. I see a lot of Mello's view on his rivalry with Near during Amethyst's arc concerning her conflicts with Jasper. Neglecting personal time to have fun because the complex is weighing her down and making her try harder and become a more toxic person to be around ("Who has time for any of that when Jasper is out there?!"). Her anguish at doing so much to get better and it never being enough to get what she wants ("I can't win... No matter what I do, no matter how hard I work..."). The whole episode "Reformed" where Amethyst keeps trying to make a form that Garnet (whom I associate with L) would approve of by comparing herself to and emulating other gems. Telling people to "stay out of it" when they try to interfere or stop her from doing something drastic. The difference being that she gets positive results when she finally opens up and allows people to help her achieve her goals and not hyperfixate anymore. By the time Mello finally reaches out for help and realizes that he needs to put aside his animosity towards Near to ultimately stop Kira, it's essentially too late for a happy ending.
The only aspect where this character comparison falls apart a bit is with how lazy Amethyst can be (not bubbling the Desert Glass pillow despite living right next to a sandy beach, not being trusted to catch a monster hiding in her room). However, my counterargument is that we don't really see Mello in his downtime outside of that soccer game just chilling. Also, I'd like to reference L's "monster speech" about studying even though they don't really care about grades. It shows Near there, but I think it applies to all three of them, and Mello's only trying so hard specifically to beat Near first and foremost, not because he wants to study and get smarter for a future career ("All that practice stuff is no fun.").
Matt
Hmm... He's a malleable character to me, and that's pretty cool. He seems like a "go with the flow" kinda guy. Tell him to do something, and he'll be like, "Yeah, sure. Let me save my game first." I sort of accept whatever the fandom wants him to be in the moment, no matter what it is. The fact that he's the third smartest at Wammy's tells me that he's an effortlessly smart guy. Maybe he's good at memorization and can visually remember the answers to test questions without having to study that hard (like how I was at school, lol). Maybe not come up with the answer on the spot, but if you put something in front of him, he could go, "Oh, right," and correctly answer it. He has a little characterization in the manga, but I only just recently finished reading it, his scenes included. He really only seems to be part of the Kira case to help Mello and that's it. He doesn't seem too interested in the case itself, but Mello asked for his help, and he said, "Sure, dude. I'll try." Thus, it's why we see him gripe about how much work Mello's making him do, getting sidetracked by how cute Misa is, and speculating whether or not Mogi's her boyfriend, lol. Just a chill dude overall.
His chillness makes me think that ordinarily he'd keep to himself. Probably not to the extent that Near does, but if left alone, he is more than happy staying alone. He minds his own business, thus why he doesn't dissuade Mello from his rivalry or stop him from leaving Wammy's House (not that anyone could stop Mello from doing anything). But if someone extends an invitation, he'll accept it and try his best.
Also, "Mail" is pronounced "Mile." According to the Wiki, the katakana is written as "ma-i-ru." If it was "mail," it would be "me-i-ru" or "me--ru" I believe (henh, the his name would be close to Mel). Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's "mile" for me, and it ain't changin'.
Near
The first phrase I think of whenever I think of Near is "little shit~." XD I say that in an entirely affectionate way of course. Although, that "little shit" attitude only comes out when he's actively engaged with someone else. Not necessarily hostile, but definitely a little condescending, and it's very easy for him to rub people the wrong way. Perhaps he knows he has this effect on people, either intentionally or not, and this is why he keeps to himself and declines invitations to hang out? He probably doesn't even like being around people (he judges people very harshly in the manga). Maybe even mildly misanthropic. He might resent that he's co-dependent and has to rely on people on the daily when he gets older and leaves Wammy's House.
The reason he has the best grades at Wammy's is because he can fully focus on the tests and assignments he takes and doesn't make many technical mistakes. Makes me wonder if he's a slow test taker or exactly a mid-speed test taker? Or maybe he's effortlessly fast? Then, Mello wants to be fast, too, and that causes Mello to make more mistakes due to rushing when he could probably get better grades if he took his time?
It's very hard for me to talk about Near without bringing Mello into the picture. Their rivalry is such a focal point with their characters in the story. The rivalry is almost completely one sided in my opinion, but Near probably encourages it because he thinks Mello needs that goal. So, every once in a while, he'll make remark or do something that will purposely annoy Mello, reigniting that fire under his ass to make Near eat his dust. In the harsh judgment vein, he believes Mello's identity has been shaped around the competition and that he'd be lost without it. Kind of like how Near canonically becomes a bit despondent after the Kira case ends: taking the L mantle, but just going through the motions. Detective work doesn't seem like his passion; he was just groomed for it and is good at it. He'd be more than content to just lie around, making card castles and play single-player games all day. Maybe an occasional visit from respected company, but they'd better leave in a timely manner or be relatively unobtrusive, lol.
EDIT: Also worth mentioning, I have a ridiculous headcanon where Near has psychic powers in the anime. Thank the anime’s short hand in how he singles out Mikami as X-Kira by making his eyes glow and the room spin. I stand by that he blew up a guy’s head with his mind in the Re:Light special. Hey, if Beyond Birthday being born with shinigami eyes is canon, why not humans with psychic powers? Wammy’s is good at finding these eccentricities~.
Mello and Near's Tactics
I really do love how the narrative intention seemed to be that after Light defeated L, L was essentially split into two people with those two extremes amplified to 11. It creates a pincer attack around Light: Mello aggressively hitting the Task Force from the outside, putting traumatic emotional stress on them, and Near poking and prodding away from the inside trying to gradually create a mutiny against Light while acting like he's working alongside them. Mello brings the fear and pressure (and suspense in that he's just floating around doing who knows what after the raid), and Near seeds the doubt and inner unrest. When mashed together, they wouldn't make L exactly, but a being/team more effective and terrifying than L (surpass him together, indeed). Lord help their Watari, lol.
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I suppose those are my thoughts on the main three in a decently sized nutshell. Feel free to say I'm wrong or unfounded. I'm no expert with these characters, so hopefully my headcanons and interpretations don't piss anyone off too much. ^__^
in honor of pride month, what are your headcanons for the sexualities of the DN characters?
Hey, thanks for the ask and happy Pride to you! 🌈🌈🌈 Let's see, here are the characters that come to mind first:
Near: Demisexual
Mello: Bisexual
Matt: Gay
L: Pansexual (but he'll tell you to guess and then analyze why you answered whatever you did just to mess with you, then probably not tell you the actual answer after either)
Light: Thinks attraction is a form of weakness to be exploited in his plans (sapiosexual, it's sapiosexual)
my current favorite has to be strawberries! I've always loved strawberry prints I don't own many but I'm enjoying them way more lately (probably because I got Sweet Cream Strawberry Days Tutu JSK)
7- are you a lonelita or part of a comm?
I'm a lonelita, I tried being in comms before but I can never make it work, I never feel 100% comfortable in meets ;; (funny story, I even got kicked out of the last comm I was in for being too inactive)
9- share an unpopular opinion!
i don't know how unpopular this might be (or if someone will try to find me to throw rocks at me) but AP isn't that special, maybe it's the pieces I own but I feel like even if their prints and designs are cute they aren't as amazing as others try to make it seem they only think I do love about AP is the pockets in shirred pieces
